Psalm 19: Lessons from David Regarding Seven of God’s Attributes that Desire Your Praise and Worship

Introduction: The famous British author and late theologian Clive Staples “C.S.” Lewis (1898-1963) once called Psalm 19 “the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”1 Here, David marveled at God’s creation and His perfect ways. Through David’s psalm, God reveals several attributes about Himself that are worthy of your praise. He is a God of: (1) majesty, (2) life, (3) wisdom, (4) justice, (5) grace, (6) forgiveness, and (7) redemption.

First, David praised God for His glory that he could see in creation. You can also praise God for the clear evidence of His majesty in creation. Second, David praised God for creating the Sun to make life on Earth possible. You can also praise God for making life possible out of love for us. Third, David praised God for the wisdom He offers through His Law. You can also praise God for the wisdom that He offers through His Law and His Word. Fourth, David praised God for being fair and offering His perfect justice. You can also praise God because He is fair and His justice is perfect. Fifth, David praised God for the grace and rewards that come through faith-led obedience. You can also praise God for His grace in offering you many undeserved rewards. Sixth, David praised God for His mercy and forgiveness. You can also praise God for His mercy and forgiveness that He offers through Jesus. Finally, David praised God for being his rock and his Redeemer. You too can praise God for offering redemption to all mankind through Jesus.

1. Majesty: Praise God for the Evidence of His Majesty in Creation. Ps. 19:1-4a.

  • David praised God for His glory in creation. David looked into the sky and proclaimed that it revealed both the “glory” of God and knowledge that proved His creation: “The Works and the Word of God. For the music director. A Psalm of David. 1 The heavens tell of the glory of God; and their expanse declares the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. 4a Their line has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” (Ps. 19:1-4a). The Apostle Paul later expanded upon David’s psalm to proclaim that the evidence of God in creation is so clear that those who deny Him are “without excuse”: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:20).

The heaven declare God’s glory2

  • The Bible and the night sky both confirm God’s creation of the universe. God created the universe in two steps. First, He spoke the universe into existence: “the Universe was formed at God’s command” for “He spoke and it came to be” (Heb. 11:3; Ps. 33:9). The rabbi Nahmanides observed that the universe began in size as a mere “grain of mustard.”3 Second, on 12 separate occasions, five different Old Testament writers revealed that God then “stretched out” the stars from a small starting point to their present locations: (1) “who alone stretches out the heavens” (Job 9:8); (2) “He stretches out the north over empty space and hangs the Earth on nothing” (Job 26:7); (3) “Oh Lord my God, though art very great; . . . stretching out Heaven (the stars and the Universe) like a tent curtain” (Ps. 104:1-2); (4) “[God] stretches out the Heavens (the stars and the universe) like a curtain. And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (Is. 40:22); (5) “Thus says God the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out. . .” (Is. 42:5); (6) “. . . I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the Earth all alone” (Is. 44:24); (7) “It is I who made the Earth, and created man upon it I stretched out the heavens with My hands . . .” (Is. 45:12); (8) “That you have forgotten the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the Earth. . .” (Is. 51:13); (9) “It is He who made the Earth by His power . . . And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens” (Jer. 10:12); (10) “Oh Lord God, Behold, You have made the heavens and the Earth by your great power and by Your outstretched arm!” (Jer. 32:17); (11) “It is He who hath made the Earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding He stretched out the heavens” (Jer. 51:15); and (12) “. . .Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the Earth . . .” (Zech. 12:1). Job, the first of these five authors, wrote about the stretching of the heavens before Moses wrote Genesis. In the 20th Century, astronomers confirmed the claims of the Bible. By studying the starlight, they discovered that the universe began as infinitely small spec of matter and then stretched apart over the surface of space. Astronomer Hugh Ross observes that the analogy to a tent curtain also makes sense in the context of space: “And, like a tent, the physical reality of the universe is its surface. (All space, time, matter and energy, is constrained to the surface of the universe).”4 A tent curtain also conveys a three dimensional structure meant to protect its inhabitants. Ross points out that “Job’s description of continuous cosmic expansion ranks as one of the most far-reaching and dramatic biblical forecasts of later scientific discovery. Job accurately – and uniquely – predicted a monumental scientific breakthrough some four thousand years in advance!”5 How could Job, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah, living centuries ago before telescopes and knowledge of modern physics, have made these claims? Their writings establish that the Bible is God’s Word. No other holy book can make similar claims.

Thousands of years before science verified it, the Bible revealed the stretching universe6

  • God also set the laws of physics that are necessary to sustain all life. Paul also claims that Jesus holds everything in the universe together: “in Him all things hold together.” (Col. 1:16-17). God further declares that He “fixed” the laws that control the heavens and the Earth, what we call physics today (Jer. 33:25). He is again worthy of our praise.

  • God’s invisible hand is evidence of His love for you. When you look at the night sky, you can also praise Jesus’ “glory” and for creating a universe for mankind to live in (Ps. 19:1). “For the music director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David. LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, You who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!” (Ps. 8:1). The famous British philosopher and scientist Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) once declared “A little science estranges a man from God; a lot of science brings him back.” The study of science is not something that you need to run from as a believer. It instead provides the undeniable evidence of God’s glory and His creation. Are you praising Jesus for the glory of His creation when you look at nature?

2. Life: Praise God for Making the Conditions of Life Possible Out of Love. Ps. 19:4b-6.

  • David praised God for creating the Sun to make life on Earth possible. While other cultures worshiped the Sun, David instead credited God with this amazing source of life: “4b In them He has placed a tent for the sun, 5 which is like a groom coming out of his chamber; it rejoices like a strong person to run his course. 6 Its rising is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit to the other end of them; and there is nothing hidden from its heat.” (Ps. 19:4b-6). “The sun makes its course through the sky with strength and joy; like a man in his prime or an athlete running a race. ‘All would agree that the psalm, if it glances at mythology, repudiates it. The sun may be ‘like’ a bridegroom or a runner; it is in fact no more than a glorious part of God’s ‘handiwork.’ . . . The sun covers the whole sky, and its strength extends everywhere. It is a wonderful example of the glory of God declared in the heavens.” (David Guzik on Ps. 19 quoting British scholar Derek Kidner).7

  • The Sun also provides proof of God’s creation. Complex life can only exist if it is carbon based.8 Yet, carbon-based life can only exist with a star and planet exactly like ours:

(1) The right type of galaxy: necessary for any possible life. Carbon-based life can only exist in the right type of galaxy, a spiral galaxy like our Milky-Way. Astronomer Hugh Ross observes that elliptical and irregular galaxies contain active nuclei. These nuclei spew out life-destroying radiation and material. Only five percent of the galaxies within the universe are spiral like ours. According to Ross, the remaining 95 percent of all other galaxies could not, under any circumstances, support carbon-based life.9

(2) The right part of the right galaxy: necessary for any possible life. In addition to being within the right type of galaxy, life can only exist in the right part of a galaxy. Even in a spiral galaxy, like the Milky Way, life cannot exist in locations where the stars are densely packed together.10 By contrast, in a location far away from other stars, in an elliptical galaxy, life-essential heavy elements are too thinly distributed for life to be possible.11 Ross notes that our solar system is located in the ideal location in the center of a spiral arm of the Milky Way, neither too far or too close from other densely packed solar systems within the galaxy.12 Ross and others have established that life in the center of our Milky Way Galaxy could not exist. The close proximity of the surrounding star’s intense competing gravity would destroy the regular orbit of any planet around any given star. Mormons believe that God was once a human and lived on a planet called Kolob in the center of our Galaxy. If life is not possible in the center of our galaxy, then we can exclude the possibility that God was ever a human on such a planet.13

(3) The right solar system: necessary for any possible life. In addition to requiring the right kind of galaxy and the right location within a galaxy, life requires a single star system. In systems with more than one sun, planetary rotation becomes erratic. With erratic orbits, life destroying climatic changes occur. Ross notes that only a fourth of the stars within our galaxy meet this criteria of being bachelor stars.14

(4) The right size sun: necessary for any possible life. In addition to requiring the right kind of galaxy and the right kind of solar system, life requires the right size sun. Ross notes that a star larger than our own would burn too quickly and too erratically for life on a surrounding planet to be sustained.15 By contrast, if a star is any less massive, the planet must be closer to the star to maintain a temperature suitable for life chemistry. However, when a planet is drawn too close to a star, its rotation period slows from hours to months. This is the case for both Mercury and Venus. With slow rotation periods, life again becomes impossible. Extreme climatic changes eliminate the possibility of life on such planets.16

(5) The planet’s distance from a sun: necessary for any possible life. Even the Earth’s orbit around the Sun is precariously balanced to allow for the existence of life. A change in the distance from the Sun by as little as 2 percent would rid the entire planet of all of its life.17 If we were any closer to the Sun, “increased solar heat would prevent water vapor from condensing.”18

(6) The right planetary companions: necessary for any possible life. According to Ross, even our planetary companions exist by no mere accident. Without a Jupiter-size planet positioned just where it is, Earth would be struck about a thousand times more frequently than it is already by comets and comet debris.19 In other words, Ross concludes that without Jupiter, life-destroying impacts would be common.20

(7) The right magnetic field: necessary for any possible life. A planet’s magnetic field, a product of the heavy metal content in the planet’s inner core, also has to be perfectly balanced to sustain any conceivable life forms. If the Earth’s magnetic field were stronger, all life would be killed through electromagnetic storms. But its magnetic field any weaker, cosmic radiation “would bathe the surface of the Earth with a continual shower of life-devastating ionization.21

  • Life without God’s intervention would not be possible. According to Ross, the maximum possible number of planets in the universe is estimated to be ten billion trillion. (1022) Even with that large of a number, Ross concludes after assigning a variable to each factor that the chance of meeting all of the necessary conditions for a planet to support life is statistically impossible: “[R]esearch finds less than 1 chance in a hundred thousand trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion [=10-99] that even one life-supporting planet would occur anywhere in the universe.”22 The observable universe contains less than a trillion galaxies, each averaging a hundred billion stars. Without God’s intervention, not even one planet would be expected, by natural processes alone, to possess the necessary conditions to sustain life. These factors argue beyond a reasonable doubt that our life-sustaining planet was carefully created by God and not as a result of mere random chance. A law of statistics called “Borel’s Law” states that a chance of 1 in 1050 or one chance in 100 trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion is a statistically impossible random chance. Thus, humans will likely never find another Earth-like planet capable of sustaining advanced life.23 David therefore justifiably proclaims, “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Ps. 19:1).

  • The full extent of Jesus’ love for you is beyond your comprehension. It is hard enough to imagine Jesus individually loving every person to have ever lived. The extent to which He created the perfect universe, the perfect Earth, the perfect bodies, the perfect heaven is also beyond our ability to fully appreciate. Paul urged “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17-19). Are you praising Jesus’ creation all around you?

  • Because He also loves you, you can also trust God to provide for your needs. Because God went to such incredible lengths to create the perfect life-sustaining Sun and Earth, you can trust in God to also provide for your needs: “Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!” (Lk. 12:24). His point was that you can trust Him to provide for you. Thus, He is worthy of praise.

3. Wisdom: Praise God for the Wisdom in His Law and His Word. Ps. 19:7-8.

  • David also praised God for the wisdom offered through His Law. David then praised the wonders of God’s Law for “restoring the soul”, its wisdom, and the delight it provides: “7 The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” (Ps. 19:7-8). David spent only six verses celebrating God’s creation before turning to His Word. He sought to avoid the temptation of some to worship the creation over the Creator. The “general revelation” found in nature confirms God’s existence. In contrast, the “special revelation” found in His Word reveals His love for us, His plan for us, and His wisdom. Thus, you should never look to the stars for hidden messages as astrologers claim to do.

  • Memorize God’s Law and His Word. God commanded that each leader is required to write a copy of the Law to guide his or her actions (Dt. 17:18-19). God also commanded that His Law be read to the nation once every seven years during the Feast of Tabernacles (Dt. 31:10-11). Yet, the Jews frequently sinned because they forgot God’s law. To avoid making the same mistake, God wants you to hide His law and His Word in your heart: “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.” (Ps. 119:11). “The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip.” (Ps. 37:31). “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.” (Dt. 6:6). ‘“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”’ (Jer. 31:33). If you hide God’s Law and His Word in your heart, the Holy Spirit can guide you and convict you of your sins.

  • The seven benefits in having a heart for God’s Law. Although not a path to salvation, there are seven benefits to studying God’s Law. First, through the study of the Law your sins become known to you so that you can repent of them (Ro. 3:20; 7:7). If the Law did not apply, there would be no sins for God to reveal to you. And if you believe that you are without sin, the truth is not within you (1 Jo. 1:8). Second, compliance with the Law out of devotion (not obligation) is a sign of your love for Jesus. Jesus says that if you love Him, you will keep His commandments (Jo. 14:15, 21; 15:10; 1 Jo. 5:3; 2 Jo. 1:6; Matt. 19:17). He is the great “I AM” who gave Moses the Ten Commandments (Jo. 8:58; Ex. 3:14). But Jesus came to correct people’s motives in following the Ten Commandments. He wants your obedience to be motivated by love and not obligation. He therefore summarized the Ten Commandments as something that comes naturally once a person loves the Lord and his or her neighbor (Matt. 22:35-38; Lk. 10:27; Dt. 6:5). Moses taught us to live obediently as it is written. Jesus taught us to love obediently as it is written. Third, voluntary compliance with God’s Law and the Holy Spirit sets you free from slavery to sin. If you obey the Law for the right reasons, you become a slave to righteousness. Yet, if you rebel against the Law, you become slaves to sin (Ro. 6:12, 16; Jo. 8:34; Ro. 1:24-28; Eph. 4:19; Ps. 81:12). Fourth, voluntary compliance with God’s Law helps you to live a holy life, as every believer is called to do (1 Pet. 1:16; Lev. 11:44). When you are holy through moral conduct and a loving heart, you become a light to others (Dt. 4:5-6; Matt. 5:14). Conversely, you dishonor God and repel others when you break the Law (Ro. 2:23-24). Fifth, the Ten Commandments provide a standard of righteousness to aspire to, not a means for salvation (Ro. 3:20; 2 Tim. 3:16). Sixth, voluntary compliance with God’s law brings wisdom and understanding (Dt. 4:5-6; Ps. 119:98-105). Only “fools” reject the wisdom of God’s Law (Prov. 1:7). Finally, Moses promises certain conditional “blessings” (not salvation) for those who follow the Law (Dt. 28:1-13). One example is in the area of health (Ex. 15:26; Lev. 26:3-13; Dt. 28:2-14). Another example of this is in the area of prayer. When you follow the Law out of devotion (not obligation), He can clearly hear your prayers (Jam. 5:16). Conversely, when you openly rebel against Him, your prayers may be “hindered” (1 Pet. 3:7; Jo. 9:31; Ps. 66:18; Prov. 28:9; Isa. 1:15). The reason for this is that sin cannot be in His presence (Hab. 1:13). When you act righteously, your prayers are a sweet aroma (Ps. 141:2; Rev. 5:8; 8:3). Are you willing to study God’s Law?

  • Be a teacher of God’s law and His Word. The Shema, or the Jewish call to worship, included a call for every believer to teach God’s Law to their children: “7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Dt. 6:4-9). This is a common theme throughout Deuteronomy (Dt. 4:9-10; 5:31; 11:19). This commandment is also repeated throughout the Old Testament: “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6; Ps. 78:4-6). It is also repeated again in the New Testament (Eph. 6:4). “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” (Heb. 5:12). Yet, failing to properly teach God’s Law can lead to judgment: “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” (Jam. 3:1) Will you study God’s Law and Word so that you can teach it properly?

4. Justice: Praise God Because He is Fair and His Justice is Perfect. Ps. 19:9-10.

  • David praised God for being fair and offering His perfect justice. After praising the wisdom revealed through God’s Law, David praised God’s judgments as just and fair: “9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much pure gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.” (Ps. 19:9-10). The truth that is available through God’s Law and His Word was David’s sweetest reward: “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! . . . Therefore I love Your commandments above gold, yes, above pure gold.” (Ps. 119:103, 127).

  • God’s justice is perfect in His timing. David repeatedly praised God because His Law was true, fair, and it brought perfect justice: “You have commanded Your testimonies in righteousness and great faithfulness. . . Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Law is truth.” (Ps. 119:138, 142). “I can do nothing on My own. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 5:30). But believers should never look at their immediate circumstances to judge whether God is just and fair. His justice comes in His timing, not ours. In other words, don’t confuse the ultimate with the immediate.

  • God’s justice includes compassion. If we all received what we desired, we would have reasons to fear God’s perfect justice. Yet, we can give thanks because God’s perfect justice includes compassion for all people: “Because His judgments are true and righteous . . .” (Rev. 19:2a). Believers can also give thanks that His justice includes compassion: “Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him.” (Is. 30:18). “Thus says the LORD, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD.” (Jer. 9:23-24).

  • God’s justice includes mercy. We can also give thanks that God’s perfect justice includes mercy: “The LORD has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You will no longer fear disaster.” (Zeph. 3:15). This mercy is available through Jesus (Jo. 3:16).

  • God’s justice brings peace. One of the reasons that David praised God’s Law as his sweetest reward was that following it brings peace: “And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and set My sanctuary in their midst forever.” (Ezek. 37:26).

  • Fear the Lord by hating evil and accept His discipline. David stated that “The fear of the Lord is clean,” (Ps. 19:10). It brings wisdom (Ps. 111:10), and it is defined as “hating” evil (Prov. 8:13). When you embrace evil and sin, you should then embrace God’s willingness to correct and rehabilitate you as a sign of His love for you: “So you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.” (Dt. 8:5). As part of His covenant with David, God stated: “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and with strokes of sons of mankind,” (1 Sam. 7:14). God’s discipline of believers is also a sign of His love for them as well: “For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He punishes every son whom He accepts. It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Heb. 12:6-7; 1 Cor. 11:32). God’s discipline is frequently painful. But you can give thanks that He only disciplines you out of love to build up your faith in Him.

5. Grace: Praise God for His Grace in Offering Mankind Undesired Rewards. Ps. 19:11.

  • David praised God for the grace and rewards that come through faith-led obedience. Although our salvation is through faith alone, David praised God for His grace in the form of rewards that He offers for those who live in Spirit-led obedience: “11 Moreover, Your servant is warned by them; in keeping them there is great reward.” (Ps. 19:11). With faith, God will reward you both here and in heaven.

  • Jesus offers eternal salvation as a reward for your faith. Jesus gave His life so that all who have faith in Him might live: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Ro. 5:8). “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (Jo. 10:11). “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jo. 3:16). His blood is the symbol and proof of His covenant. “And He said to them, ‘This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.’” (Mk. 14:24; Lk. 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; Jer. 31:31). What Jesus offers is also free (Ro. 6:26). His reward only requires your faith that He died on the cross for your sins.

  • Jesus will also reward your faith on Earth and in heaven. In addition to the reward of eternal life, Jesus also promises to bless you in many other ways. He promises to bless you with the Holy Spirit as a down-payment on your salvation (Eph. 1:14; 2 Cor. 1:22). And, in addition to blessings on Earth through the Spirit, He promises five kinds of crowns in heaven. First, those who persevere in the face of trials will receive a crown of life: “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (Ja. 1:12; ; Rev. 2:10). Second, those who live a pure life while waiting for His return will receive a crown of righteousness: “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:8). Third, those who exercise self-control will receive an “incorruptible crown” (1 Cor. 9:25-27). Fourth, elders, pastors, teachers, leaders, and shepherds of God’s flock will also receive “a crown of glory” (1 Pet. 5:4). Finally, those who help lead others to Christ will receive a “crown of rejoicing” (1 Thess. 2:19; ). Jesus also promised various conditional blessings in the beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-12). He also promised “rewards” for those who store up their treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:20). These are among the examples of blessings that are unrelated to your salvation. Other kinds of rewards on Earth include a prolonged life (Dt. 5:32-33). Have you given thanks for your undeserved rewards?

  • Praise Jesus for His indescribable gifts. Paul urged believers to thank Jesus for His indescribable gift: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Cor. 9:15). Are you giving thanks for the many indescribable gifts in your life?

6. Forgiveness: Praise God for His Mercy and Forgiveness. Ps. 19:12-13.

  • David praised God for His forgiveness. David knew that he could not become righteous through his good works. Thus, He prayed for God to forgive his sins and make him pure: “12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 13 Also keep Your servant back from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then I will be innocent, and I will be blameless of great wrongdoing.” (Ps. 19:12-13). David had the faith to know that God could and would forgive his sins through repentance and a blood atonement.

David praises God for His forgiveness24

  • David confessed his sins. David did no try not hide his sins: “Acquit me of hidden faults” (Ps. 19:12) This included “presumptuous sins” where he made false claims that he acted on God’s behalf (Ps. 19:13). “You have placed our guilty deeds before You, our hidden sins in the light of Your presence.” (Ps. 90:8). Thus, he pleaded for forgiveness. “For the sake of Your name, LORD, forgive my wrongdoing, for it is great.” (Ps. 25:11). “For the music director. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness; according to the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my wrongdoings. Wash me thoroughly from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.” (Ps. 51:1-2).

  • Repent of your sins. Isaiah also knew that he was an unclean man when he stood before God: “Then I said, ‘Woe to me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of armies.”’ (Is. 6:5). Because we as sinners cannot be in God’s holy presence, Jesus began His ministry with a call for all of mankind to repent of its sins and turn back to God. “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”’ (Matt. 4:17; Mk. 1:15). His disciples also began their ministry with a call to repentance: “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”’ (Acts 2:38). If you say that you are without sin, the Bible says that the truth is not in you (1 Jo. 1:8). Yet, if you confess your sins, Jesus will forgive you: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jo. 1:9). What sins do you need to repent of?

  • We must wash our sins by reading the Word and confessing our sins. Jesus also makes it clear that believers need to be washed even after we have been saved. At the Last Supper, Peter initially refused Jesus’ offer to wash his feet. Jesus responded by rebuking him: “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” (Jo. 13:8). Peter then asked Jesus to wash his feet, hands, and head. Jesus responded: “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet.” (Jo. 13:10). In other words, Jesus died once for our sins, but our flesh gets dirty each day and must still be washed. We read God’s Word to first expose our sins: “so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word . . .” (Eph. 5:26). We then confess the sins that the Word reveals to us (1 Jo. 1:9). Are you reading the Word to cleanse yourself and confessing the sins of your daily life?

  • Praise God for His mercy and forgiveness. The Jews celebrated that God forgave their sins: “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;”’ (Ex. 34:6; 33:19; Nu. 19:18). “For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” (Dt. 4:31). “You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy; and You did not abandon them.” (Neh. 9:17). Are you praising God for His mercy and grace in your life?

7. Redemption: Praise God For Offering Redemption to all Mankind. Ps. 19:14.

  • David praised God as his Redeemer. Finally, David praised his “rock” and “Redeemer” and, in humility, prayed for his praises to be acceptable to the Creator of the universe: “14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Ps. 19:14). This again foreshadowed Jesus.

Praise Jesus that, the Creator of the universe, died to make your salvation possible25

  • Praise Jesus as your Redeemer. David called the Creator of the universe “my rock”. (Ps. 19:14). He also called the Creator of the universe “my Redeemer”. (Ps. 19:14). Isaiah also called God his Redeemer: “This is what the LORD says, He who is your Redeemer,. . .,” (Is. 44:24). Jeremiah also professed faith in his Redeemer: “Their Redeemer is strong, the LORD of armies is His name; . . .” (Jer. 50:34). Job also professed faith in his Redeemer in heaven: “Yet as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last, He will take His stand on the earth.” (Job 19:25). Jesus came to fulfill these promises: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, . . .(Gal. 3:13).

  • Worship the Creator of the universe who uses His power to deliver you. David began his famous psalm by praising God’s hand in creation, and he ended it by praising his deliverance. This was no accident. God’s power over creation is proof that you can trust in His ability to deliver you: “Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?” (Dt. 4:34). Do you have the faith to know that there is no problem that is too big or small in your life for God?

  1. C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Company, 1986), 63.↩︎

  3. Nahmanides, Commentary on the Torah, Genesis 1:1, quoted by, Dr. Gerald Schroeder, Genesis And The Big Bang: The Discovery Between Harmony And The Bible (Bantam Books 1990), pp. 64-65.↩︎

  4. Hugh Ross A Matter of Days (2nd ed. RTB Press 2015) p. 69-70.↩︎

  5. Id. at 56.↩︎

  8. Robert H. Dicke “Dirac’s Cosmology in March’s Principal Nature” (1961) p.440; Gerald Schroeder, Genesis and the Big Bang: The Discovery of Harmony Between Modern Science and the Bible, pp.121-122.;↩︎

  9. Hugh Ross, The Creator and the Cosmos, p.132.↩︎

  10. Id. at 133-134.↩︎

  11. Id. at 134.↩︎

  12. Id.↩︎

  13. Id.↩︎

  14. Id.↩︎

  15. Id.↩︎

  16. Id.↩︎

  17. Ross. at 135, citing, Michael Hart, Habitable Zones About Main Sequence Stars, Icarus 37 (1979), pp. 351-357.↩︎

  18. Shroeder at p. 124.↩︎

  19. Id. at 137, citing, “Our Friend Jupiter” Discoverer (1993) p. 15.↩︎

  20. Id., citing, Hugh Ross, Dinosaurs’ Disappearance No Longer A Mystery, Facts & Faith, Vol. 5 No. 3 (1991) pp.1-36.↩︎

  21. Gerald Schroeder, Genesis and the Big Bang: The Discovery of Harmony Between Modern Science and the Bible, p. 125’ Ross further notes ancient rocks reveal that our magnetic field has followed a “sinusoidal” pattern every ten thousand years. This means that the field has fluctuated precisely within the narrow bounds necessary for life to exist. Hugh Ross, Creation and Time (NavPress 1994) p.106 citing, (Jacobs, J.A.; Russell, R.D.; and Tuzo Wilson, J., Physics and Geology (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1959) p. 135.↩︎

  22. Emphasis added. Id. at 29.↩︎

  23. Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee, The Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe (Springer-Verlag: New York, Inc. 2000.↩︎